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Tuesday, 29 January 2008

It gets to that time in the year when you just want to be off. Catching glimpses of the canals from the train on the way back from Huddersfield yesterday really set us the dreaming of the day we can cast-off and start cruising again. There must be three men somewhere doing all the hard work steering the boats - meanwhile we were having a good gossip (probably at their expense).

A lovely Valentine card. I punched out the borders with a border punch in shiny red paper and mat black, using the waste hearts to stick down the right hand side. I printed off the sentiment and matted it onto silver and shiny red paper and finished off with a red bow. The finale is a chocolate heart covered in red foil stuck to the top left hand corner.

Thursday, 24 January 2008

Salvage Turn, Birmingham and Worcester Canal. The big hole is going to house a very large block of luxury apartments and shops and food outlets called The Cube. It is going to be a very dark and dank corner once it goes up as it will cut out all the light.

Off to Huddersfield for a long weekend. See you when we get back.

Hope no-one is offended with this Valentine, the pasties (I think that's what they are called) came from the Pound Shop. I printed the words directly onto the card and made an insert out of 2 sheets of red and white paper and punched a heart boarder along the bottom.

Tuesday, 22 January 2008

Well, here he is - the newest member of the Drew family. Thomas Hollands, born on Saturday morning and doing well. Plus the card I made for him. The bear started out as a gift tag and has a fabric nappy.

Now, I'm afraid it's time for Valentines. Here is the first. Gold stamped mulberry paper, fibre fixed mulberry paper, a large cardboard heart covered in white handmade paper with a rose petal , and a paper rose. All stuck to a pink card.

Sunday, 20 January 2008

It's about this time of the year that I start getting withdrawal symptoms and panic about the safe place that I hid my locking gloves in. Will I ever be able to find them again in time.

Visits from the Police this week - the Labour Party are holding some sort of conference at the end of February and they want to close the canal and search all our boats!!!! I have also heard that the Conservative Party are also going to hold their Conference here in September, so I suppose more of the same later this year.

Took the train down to London on Thursday for a look at the shops. What have they done to Liberty. I used to be able to spend all day in there and not get bored. Now it's just more of the same old stuff that you can find in all the shops.

As promised - the birth announcement cards for my niece's son. He was born early Saturday morning and I got the time, weight, length etc, but forgot to ask for a name!!

I made 10 cards and used my Craft Robo to cut out the megaphone and train. The carriages I made like an envelope with taps at the back and the wheels are buttons. I then made tags to fit into the carriages: one for baby's name, one for a photo to be added and the third with the details. The front shows a megaphone and the wording: Announcing the arrival of...

I packed them into an acetate box which came with 50 blank cards from The Works, taking off all the sticky stuff and replacing it with my own decorations.

Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Mick towing Tessa's boat from the moorings. They were off to Caggy's for a bottom blacking.

It has been so quiet on the moorings over the past week it has been unbelievable. No police, no premiership football teams walking past in a crocodile just like an infant school class and no TV cameras. Mind you the rain could have had something to do with it.

I have finished the birth announcement cards for my niece for the end of the month and have photographed them, but they are still on the camera, so you'll have to wait.

This is another get well card. The animal cartoons come from an old CD of clipart and for the life of me I cannot find them on it any more. I photocopied the image onto card and cut it out, fixing it to blue paper with sticky-fixers then matted onto white and cream card. The pink paper was trimmed with wavy edged scissors and little peel-off dots stuck in the corners. And that was it - finished.

Thursday, 10 January 2008

This little fellow arrived in Birmingham in 2006 and has been living among the Canada geese, ducks and two immature swans that we have here. It is a bit shy and seems to stay around the NIA area and doesn't venture down as far as the moorings.

We are still having fireworks on the moorings, though, hopefully, it will quieten down soon.

We visited the furniture store where we originally bought our chairs, the wait time for a new one will be 6-10 weeks. Looks like David will be stuck on the fold-up chair for some time. The other David on the moorings is going to try and fix the broken one, or we will try at the boatyard when we get our bottom blacked at the end of February.

This little bear is made from resin. I stuck it onto to some lilac mulberry paper with sticky fixers and then some turquoise torn paper. I stuck gem flowers in each corner of the paper and a silk daisy in the bottom right hand corner. The base card is lilac. Because the glue has gone brown and spread into the paper it has spoiled the card I have had to dismantle it and will have to try again with new paper and card - though I am sure nothing much will go to waste.

Tuesday, 8 January 2008

Well, you cannot say that this is a boring mooring - or a dull time of the year. The boat next door was broken into the night before last and an ambulance was called this morning to take a moorer into hospital. Whatever happened to this quiet, hidden mooring.

And is this global warming? Primroses in January and I haven't even seen a snowdrop yet.

We got a new starter battery and David, Geoff and Pete struggled to get the old one out, then they discovered that the new one had the terminals on it the wrong way around, to Pete is going to have to exchange it for another one. Then a man from the insurance company came to see David's broken chair - he has written it off and we will probably get 50% of the cost (less than 1/2 the cost of a replacement today) but it will take about 7 days and then we will have a 6 week wait for a new chair. Just what do they think David is going to sit on for all that time. Not my chair, that's for sure.

A 21st birthday card. The backing paper I printed and has the words to "Twenty-one today". Next two layers of handmade 3 layers of handmade paper in purples topped with pink mulberry paper. A real key, tied with pink satin and lilac organdy ribbon. I later changed the key for a flower painted one that I found in a heel bar but forgot to re-photograph the card.

Sunday, 6 January 2008

"Mark No 1" formerly "Lady of Arden" off to her new home. One boat down, two more to go.

Apart from that, a frost this morning and now rain - too cold to be out socialising so it was a weekend of football for some lucky members of the family.

A lovely stamp this, it's from Australia. I wish I had bought it while I was there. I photocopied it onto watercolour paper and then painted it with watercolours. Then it was matted onto black and gold card and finally onto some torn camouflage type tissue paper. The wording says "Monkey Business".

I am trying to make some birth announcement cards for a niece whose baby is due at the end of the month. I am trying to cut a train on my Craft Robo, but can't get the right measurements - either too big or too small. I'll get there in the end - but I'm using far too much red card.

Thursday, 3 January 2008

Oh! it's getting cold (but not on the boat). So a picture of a sunny day.

David's very expensive armchair broke when he sat on it last night. We found the guarantee and discovered with have about 13 day's left to claim in! So a man is coming to look at it next Tuesday. Meanwhile David has cobbled it up with a belt and a pillow but it looks a bit uncomfortable and crooked and I don't think it will last until Tuesday. Don't these people realize we only have room for 2 seats on the boat.

David has also started his own blog - well Bernie the Bollard's blog actually - so there is even more for you to read and is getting him writing again.

I am in the process of setting up another web site for my cards - but I've not got very far yet. But stand by, I'll get there in the end.

I usually get all the card making mags and scan all the pictures of cards that I hope to make some day. I very rarely do of course - but this time I actually cased one almost immediately. I don't think it needs explaining and I sold it almost immediately.

BUY MY CARDS HERE

About Us

along with David and Bernie the Bollard I live on Narrowboat Mr David. Mostly we moor in Gas Street Basin, and cruise mainly in the Spring. David takes photographs and I make greetings cards which can be purchased from the boat or through this blog - consequently if you see something you like or want to comission a card - just get in touch with a comment.
Our address is: Narrowboat Mr David, Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham B1 2JT and the email address is: brendacscowcroft@hotmail.co.uk. Hope you enjoy the blog - give us a waive if you see us passing!